NB Discussion System

I'll be posting notes and handouts
in NB. NB is a discussion forum,
but you post your questions/replies in the margins of the documents
you're discussing.
Feel free to use nb to ask clarification questions about the homework,
but don't discuss answers---that's for you to do in your small groups.

Course Information

There is no course text. However, about half the material we cover can be found in Randomized
Algorithms (link includes errata list). Copies should be
available at the Coop. You can also order online at Amazon or
Barnes
and Noble.

If you are thinking about taking this course, you might want to
see what past students have said about previous times I taught
Randomized Algorithms, in
2013,
2005, or 2002.

Problem Sets

Submission

You will receive a registration link from gradescope to create an account.

Once you have an account you can simply use the link next to the problem set to submit your solution.

Make sure to use a seperate page for each (sub-)problem.

Gradescope lets you associate each subproblem with the corresponding pages on your solution.
Make sure not to skip this step. Your problem set will not be graded otherwise, and you will lose the corresponding points!

After your submission has been graded, you can submit a regrade request directly in gradescope.

Due Date and Late Submission

Problem sets are due Wednesdays at the beginning of class (2.30pm).

Each student has a total budget of 15 "slack" points to accommodate his/her late problem submissions.
Each problem that is submitted late but in before Friday class will consume one slack point (and incur no grade penalty).
If that problem is submitted in before Monday class, it will consume two slack points (and, again, incur no grade penalty).
No late problem will be considered if submitted after the Monday class begins. (So, for example, if there is a problem set with a total of five problems on it,
submitting three of these problems on time, one of them before Friday class, and one of them before Monday class will consume three slack points in total.)

Late submission can directly be submitted to gradescope as well.

In order for the late submission to be graded students are additionally required to fill out the late submission form. The link to the form can be found next to the problem set.

Policy

Collaboration is strongly encouraged except where
explicitly forbidden. However, each person must independently write
up his/her own solution, and you must list all collaborators for each
problem on your problem set. Collaboration groups should be small (3 or 4 students)
to ensure that everyone is actively engaged with the problems.

You may not seek out answers from other sources without
prior permission. In particular, you may not use bibles or posted
solutions to problems from previous years.

Peer Grading

Each student is required to grade (at least but hopefully) one problem
in the semester.

We will have a TA-supervised grading session each week.
This session is used to make sure that the graders fully understand the solution, while they can grade the problems at home after this session.

Please use the link next to the problem set, to sign up as grader for the corresponding problem set.

Note that no late submissions are allowed if you sign up as peer-grader.